Who is the Water lettuce?

This perennial plant floats on the surface of our aquariums. It forms an interesting vegetation cover to sift the lighting (which many fish appreciate), offers hiding places for fry and some surface fish will also use them to build their bubble nest.

Like many floating plants, it participates effectively in the fight against algae by feeding on the nutrients in the water and at the same time depriving the algae of these substances.

Planting and maintenance

How to plant and maintain the Water lettuce?

Its favorite medium is an open aquarium, where the plant grows quickly and becomes quite large.

The hardness of the water should not exceed 10°dGH (for this, cut off the water to osmosis water to obtain the desired GH). Good light is also essential for its development. A lighting intensity of 3000 Lux or 1 Watt for 2 liters or 0.5 gallons of water is recommended. If these two conditions are met, water lettuce will grow and multiply rapidly.

In order not to penalize the other plants in your aquarium too much, limit the spread of this plant so that there is enough light below. You can remove part of it during your weekly cleaning for example.